Overcoming psychosocial barriers to chlamydia re-testing
A qualitative exploration of barriers to, and interventions to improve, chlamydia retesting using the behaviour change wheel
Repeat chlamydia infections are common with complications increasing with the number of lifetime infections. Despite national guidelines, UK rates of re-testing remain low. Although social, motivational, psychological and environmental factors all act as barriers to re-testing, these have not been explored in-depth and methods to overcome these barriers are not well understood. We will explore the barriers and methods to overcome barriers to re-testing, and potential intervention and implementation strategies to increase re-testing among those previously diagnosed with chlamydia.
Our findings will inform interventions to increase chlamydia re-testing, contributing to ongoing priorities to halt the rise of STIs. Findings will inform National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) recommendations and direct further research, aiding pathways towards a substantial impact on policy development and service delivery and reduction in undiagnosed repeat infections.
